Mnangagwa clarifies poisoning statement

VICE PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa, who suddenly fell sick during the Zanu-PF Presidential Youth Interface rally in Gwanda in August, confirmed that he was poisoned though his doctors ruled out food poisoning.

Addressing journalists last night to dispel assertions made by his counterpart Cde Phelekezela Mphoko on Tuesday that he had publicly declared during a memorial service for the late heroine Cde Shuvai Mahofa in Gutu on Saturday that he had been poisoned in Gwanda (watch video), VP Mnangagwa said he never said he was poisoned in Gwanda, but that he fell sick in Gwanda. While reiterating that he never consumed ice cream from Gushungo Dairy before his sudden illness, VP Mnangagwa noted that those peddling such falsehoods were bent on creating a wedge between him and the First Family who own the dairy.

During the memorial service, the VP drew comparisons between his illness and that of Cde Mahofa who fell sick during the ZANU-PF conference in Victoria Falls in 2015. Just as what had happened to the late heroine who was hospitalised in the country before being airlifted to South Africa, VP Mnangagwa had similarly been first checked in at a local hospital before being transferred to SA for treatment.

“It is indeed factual that I fell ill in Gwanda and was airlifted to Gweru then to Harare before subsequently being airlifted to South Africa,” he said.

“I never said that I was poisoned in Gwanda, but that I fell ill in Gwanda. Equally, the late national heroine Cde Shuvai Ben Mahofa fell ill during the 15th National People’s Conference of ZANU-PF held in Victoria Falls in 2015. She was taken to hospital in Zimbabwe and subsequently to South Africa. Therein is the extent of the similarities of events which I alluded to during my address.

“During the briefing with His Excellency, the President, Cde R.G Mugabe, the medical doctors who attended to me ruled out food poisoning, but confirmed that indeed poisoning had occurred and that investigations were still in progress. They, however, established that poisoning had indeed occurred and investigations were in progress.”

BY Tendai Mugabe